1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention is in medical surgeries, laparoscopic and minimally invasive endoscopic surgeries in particular.
2. Related Art
Most surgeries require retraction of various tissues and organs during the course of the surgery in order to properly expose the organ needing treatment and surgical repair. Traditional surgery with a large working space provided by a large entry incision allowed physicians or their assistants to reach into the surgical field with large retractor instruments and secure the subject organ or tissue and hold it securely out of the surgeon's way as he or she proceeds to the organ requiring surgical treatment.
In recent years, the advantages of laparoscopic surgery have made such minimally invasive procedures more and more common. In particular, single incision laparoscopic surgeries (“SILS”) have been increasing due to both the cosmetic and therapeutic advantages of creating only one incision. The corresponding disadvantage of single incision laparoscopic surgeries in particular and laparoscopic surgeries in general is the reduced access of the surgeon and medical personnel to the surgical field and the consequent difficulty in executing otherwise routine surgical steps such as retraction. An example of a surgery highlighting these issues is single incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.
One of the operative requirements for all instruments being used in laparoscopic surgery in general and single incision laparoscopic surgery in particular is that the instruments and tools fit through a cannula which is in lay terms the long tube through which the surgeon enters the surgical space, frequently the abdomen, and through which tools are inserted and work is done. This operative requirement means that prior art normal retraction tools such as clamps or hooks cannot be used because they would occupy the space in the cannula that is needed for surgical tools such as pinchers, graspers, forceps, scalpels and energy devices. The prior art solution has been to make a second incision through which required instruments like retractors may be inserted in place. Therefore, in order to avoid a second incision, a retractor is needed that may be inserted through a cannula placed to achieve its useful purpose, and then maintain retraction entirely independently and entirely within the patient's body.
Prior art attempts to meet these needs have resulted in instruments that are cumbersome, complex and have a limited range of useful applications. For some procedures, such as single incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies, previously developed instrumentation tools and retractors are not effective for the particular needs of that surgery, for example, retracting the left lobe of the liver in order to properly expose the stomach for the procedure at hand. Finally, time is always at a premium during surgery. Promoting speed without sacrificing accuracy or proper tissue handling is always advantageous. Hence, a device requiring fewer steps for execution of its use is advantageous.